Entertainment

Video cameras of all shapes and sizes have for many decades captured amazing artifacts, which has in turn led to the creation of our favorite movies, TV shows and now, YouTube videos. However, in 2016, the game of filmmaking is changing forever—and it is all because of drones. Drones may not have come out yesterday, but this year, it is becoming more socially acceptable for them to be used in everyday life. Something that was once shunned by everyone in close proximity due to its noisy behavior is now something you can casually fly in your backyard, and now, drones are changing the game of aerial cinematography.

While it is still incredible what a more standard video camera can do, drones are more skilled in obtaining aerial shots, and these shots are what make anything from a Hollywood movie to a homemade short film something worth talking about. The special thing about drones becoming more accepted this year is that now they are more obtainable, not just for award-winning filmmakers, but for anyone who wants one, and that is going to be very impactful for many people’s creativity. Aspiring filmmakers and YouTubers, or people who just simply enjoy messing around with a camera and an editing software, now have endless capabilities of what they can create.

The DJI Phantom 4 is arguably the best camera drone for YouTubers or homemade filmmakers. Decently priced at a little bit under $1,500, this camera drone is easily accessible for people making videos right out of their own home. YouTuber Casey Neistat is notably the most prevalent person in the media right now who is actively capturing video with the DJI Phantom 4. He uses it often in his daily vlogs, and as such has been an inspiration to many of his subscribers and followers. Neistat uses the Phantom 4 almost daily to capture his life in New York City, as well as his trips to many other places such as South Africa and San Francisco. Without the drone, these videos would not be nearly as cool and interesting as they are with it.

Neistat said recently in one of his vlogs that when operating a drone, you should be using it to help tell your story. In his case, he incorporates drone cinematography into his daily vlogs to help tell the story of his life as a husband, dad, business owner, filmmaker and YouTuber. He encourages his viewers who are also vloggers to use drones as a way of storytelling, and his creative perspective on this new and interesting technology is something that is touching his two million plus subscribers. Many people think of a drone as something solely used for big feature films or aerial real estate photography, when that is not the case at all—and Neistat clearly makes that evident as he uses his drone in his everyday life.

Just last month, a festival centered around drones was held in New York City. The New York City Drone Film Festival (logo pictured to the left) was developed in 2014 and has since been highly impactful for the technology world, as it is the only festival that specializes in drones. The festival acts as a place for people to display their creative drone cinematography to others who are just as invested in the world of filmmaking. Big name companies such as NBC News have taken part in this festival and DJI, the company of the drone that Neistat uses, is the leading sponsor of the event.

The festival had a crowd of over 5,000, clearly displaying not only how popular drones are currently, but how much they are on the rise. The NBC News article with the drastic headline “New York Drone Film Festival Aims to Win Over Skeptic Public” perfectly captured the festival and drone usage as a whole. While it has previously been looked down upon to use drones anywhere in public, the point of this festival was to turn that mindset around and show how the creative possibilities of drones are endless. The NYC Drone Film Festival is working hard to make next year’s event just as impactful as this year’s, because the art of drone cinematography is only growing.